The Good News August 28, 2026

Welcome to a new school year at St. John XXIII!

Whether you’re a returning family or joining us for the first time, we are so grateful to have you here. Our division’s theme this year is "Rooted. United. Sent". At St. John XXIII we are blessed to be Rooted in Christ's love, United as one family, supporting each other and this year a special focus will be on how each one of us is Sent in love to serve and share Christ with the world.

Our mission to be sent in love to serve and share Christ with the world comes to life every day right here in the hallways of St. John XXIII Catholic School.

Inside our school, this looks like:

• Students choosing inclusion—sitting with someone who feels alone, standing up against bullying, and treating peers with gentle grace.

• Staff seeing every child through a lens of love, mentoring students through challenges, and praying over our community.

• Everyone serving with gratitude—from thanking our custodians and support staff to pursuing learning with integrity and heart.

Together, we strive to build a safe, welcoming environment where every child feels seen, valued, and encouraged to reflect God's love to the world. Thank you for partnering with us in this journey!

We are thrilled to begin a new school year, and look forward to welcoming all of the students.

Erin Croft

Principal

We are excited to welcome our students back to school on Monday and Tuesday for staggered entry, and then all students from grades 1-4 on Wednesday, September 2. Some important information for the first day:

1. Supervision begins at 8:30, and our doors open at 8:35. and block Your child's teacher and staff members will be outside to meet and greet your child and family. Look for posters on each of the outside doors to see where your child's door is.

2. Dismissal is 3:08 pm (every Wednesday, Dismissal is 2:08)

3. Please see information below re: parking, drop off, pick up, bus.

4. Lunchtime : On all days except Wednesdays, students will have lunch recess from 11:35 - 11:55 am and then eat from 11:55 - 12:15 pm. On Wednesdays, lunch recess is slightly earlier, from 11:32-11:52 am and lunch is from 11:52-12:12 pm.

Wednesday, September 2nd: First day of classes for all Grades 1-4 students, dress in our school colours - Blue and Yellow!

Monday, September 7: No School (Labour Day)

Wednesday, September 9: Early Dismissal/ Back to School Assembly at 12:35 pm

Pre K: Amy Ekdhal

Pathways: Kirsten Tabert

Kindergarten: Megan Yockey & Makena Nykyforuk

Grade 1: Teagan Kamstra, Taylor Pidhirniak & Allison Swoboda

Grade 2: Korinne Walsh & Kate Yuzyk

Grade 3: Kathy Forslund & Michelle Ethier/Samantha Hawiuk

Grade 3/4: Rhonda Ganes

Grade 4: Kendra Rossignol & Jennifer Dechaine & Yasmin Akhtar

Nature K, 1, 2: Melanie Martinez

Nature 3 & 4: Kelsey Bishop

Music K-4: Sarah Schaub

Assistant Principal & Collaborative Response Coordinator: Jennifer Maynard

Principal: Erin Croft

Music: Sarah Schaub

Chaplain: Rhonda Ganes

Colloborative Response Coordinator: Jennifer Maynard

Family Wellness Worker: Eleanor Heesing

Library Tech: May-Lee Buban

Secretary: Barb Potter

Student Support Team: Mrs. Croft, Mrs. Maynard & Mrs. Heesing

Educational Assistants:

Gwen Manca

Michelle Mudry

Roxanne Kellogg

Nicole Kelly

Brianne Moar

Angie Marklund

Amanda Ward

Evlin Asante

Teresa Bodker

Jennifer Van Ulden

Chelsea Pearman

Tricia Vince

Hanna Despins

Candis Kish

Ashwini Joshi

For Grades 1-4:

Monday, August 31st: Students with last names A-L

Tuesday, September 1st: Students with last names M-Z

Wednesday, September 2nd: First day of classes for all Grades 1-4 students

*Please note that the above two dates do include Flexible Pathways students, who will attend for the full day on their above respective date based on their last name.

Kindergarten Monday Thursday (Miss Yockey):

Monday, August 31st:

Time: 9am - 11am Students with last names A - C

Time: 1pm - 3pm Students with last names D - H

Thursday, September 3rd:

Time: 9am - 11am Students with last names I-M

Time: 1pm - 3pm Students with last names N-Z

Kindergarten Monday Thursday (Miss Nykyforuk):
Monday, August 31st:

Time: 9am - 11am Students with last names A-C

Time: 1pm - 3pm Students with last names D-F

Thursday, September 3rd:

Time 9am - 11am Students with last names G-M

Time 1pm - 3pm Students with last names N-Z

Kindergarten Tuesday Friday (Miss Yockey):

Tuesday, September 1st:

Time: 9am - 11am Students with last names A - D

Time: 1pm - 3pm Students with last names E-K

Wednesday, September 2nd:

Time: 9am - 11am Students with last names L-S

Time: 12pm - 2pm Students with last names T-Z

Kindergarten Tuesday Friday (Miss Nykyforuk):

Tuesday, September 1st:

Time: 9am - 11am Students with last names A - B

Time: 1pm - 3pm Students with last names C-F

Wednesday, September 2nd:

Time: 9am - 11am Students with last names G-L

Time: 12pm - 2pm Students with last names M-Z

We are seeking to hire lunch time supervisors. This is a paid position and the commitment would be one hour per day. If you are interested in applying or learning more about this position, please email us at stj@eics.ab.ca or by calling the school at 780-998-7777

As Catholic educators, we commit to providing learning opportunities in the context of Gospel values, where each student is celebrated and nurtured. Every day at Saint John XXIII, your child will connect with and experience how much God loves them through relationships with staff, peers, and parish members. In addition to our connection to Christ, staff will work with your child to achieve specific learning outcomes as outlined by Alberta Education.

To be partners on your child's learning journey, we invite you to click on the link below:

https://curriculum.learnalberta.ca/home/en

At St. John XXIII Catholic School, we are dedicated to nurturing our students' physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. In line with our commitment to fostering a Christ-centered, distraction-free learning environment, we are establishing clear boundaries regarding Personal Communication Devices (PCD), including cell phones, tablets, iPads, smartwatches, and gaming devices.

• School Hours and Property: From 8:30 a.m. to 3:08 p.m., and while on school property, students are not permitted to use any digital devices, unless they are part of instruction led by the teacher (Chromebooks and laptops). The only exceptions are for students with a diagnosed medical condition or identified inclusive educational needs coordinated with the school.
• Encouraging Disconnection: We strongly encourage students to leave their personal devices at home. However, if a student brings technology to school, it must be stored securely in their backpack and remain powered off during school hours.
• Communication Protocol: All communication with parents, including absences, illnesses, and pick-up arrangements, must go through the school office. To maintain our focus on learning, we ask parents to NOT text or call their children during instructional time. In case of an emergency, please contact the office directly.
• Policy Violations: If a student violates this policy, the device may be confiscated, and parents will be notified. Repeated or severe infractions may result in further disciplinary action.
• Device Responsibility: St. John XXIII Catholic School does not assume responsibility for the safety, security, loss, repair, or replacement of personal devices brought to school.
• Smart Watches: Smart Watches are considered a Personal Communication Devices. As long as they are used for checking the time, students are OK to wear their smart watch. If a child is using their watch for other purposes, then this would be considered a policy violation.

The first bell rings at 8:35 am and dismissal is 3:08 pm. Morning supervision begins at 8:30 am. Please do not drop off students earlier than 8:30 am.

Please refer the the full bell schedule on our website for recess times and the Wednesday schedule.

If you arrive after 8:40 am, please take your child to the front door and ring the doorbell to contact the office

For the safety of all St. John XXIII students, there are a few very important parking lot protocols to follow.

*Most important* Please do not allow students to cross the parking lot at any time. Encourage use of the sidewalks adjacent to the lot and crosswalks. Our students are little and are hard to see when people are backing up. We had some near misses last year and need your cooperation with this. Modeling and reinforcing pedestrian safety is key for young children. It’s always best to walk on sidewalks or paths and cross at street corners, using traffic signals and crosswalks. Every child is different, but developmentally, most kids are unable to judge the speed and distance of oncoming cars until about age 10.

Our kinders line up beside our parking lot, please do not park in front of the basketball area or double park. Help us keep all students safe.

Visitor parking spaces: We have very few visitor parking stalls (identified with the Visitor parking sign). These spaces are closest to the road. These stalls are available on a first-come, first served basis and we would like to encourage our families to try to be courteous and leave these spaces for our families with infant children or our families with children with complex needs. If these spaces are full, please do not come into the parking lot to drop off your child.

Park and walk: As has been a familiar practice for most of our SJXXIII families, please make a plan with your child for a meeting spot, park down the street or around the corner. This keeps kids active and safe and greatly reduces the congestion in between the two schools. Some parking is available across the street. Please do not park in a numbered stall as these are reserved for our friends at Win Ferguson.

Walking School Bus: A fantastic practice in other schools is the Walking School Bus. Parents who live near one another make a plan to walk to school along a route, picking up kids along the way. Find out who lives by you and make a safe and active plan to walk to school!

Thank-you for your cooperation and commitment to keeping our kids safe. Remember, student safety will always trump convenience.

If you are registered for busing next year, your child's first day of school as per the above information will be their first day of busing. If you wish to register your child for the bus or change your current route due to changing schools, please contact the Student Transportation Department of EIPS at (780) 417-8151 or st@eips.ca.

For the 2026-2027 school year, you will be required to purchase or supply basic school supplies for your child, including a one-to-one technology device for students in grade 4.

Enhancement programming costs such as field trips etc. will be posted to your PowerSchool account by September 30th. You will receive an email when the fees have been posted.

Please click the button below to access the school supply lists.

All returning students are required to fill out the 2026-2027 Demographic Validation Form. Having the most up-to-date information about our students ensures that we receive all available funding to support your child's learning as well as current information to reach you during the day if necessary.

If you have not already done so, we ask that you please complete this form in PowerSchool

You can follow these steps to access, review and submit the form:

1. Log into PowerSchool at https://eics.powerschool.com/

2. Under the “Forms & Fees” menu click “School Engage Student Forms”

3. Students - Select your child’s name (please complete one form for each child)

4. Click on the word “New” beside the form name A.8) 2026-2027 Demographic Validation

Video tutorial link (**from 2021-2022) on how to complete the form https://www.eics.ab.ca/parents-and-students/powerschool-log-in

Thank you in advance for completing these forms so your child experiences the full learning benefits at St. John XXIII Catholic School.

Please contact the office at 780-998-7777 if you have any questions.

Email: stj@eics.ab.ca
Website: https://stj.eics.ab.ca/
Location: 9526 89 Street, Fort Saskatchewan, AB, Canada
Phone: 780-998-7777
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/St.JohnXXIII
Twitter: @St_JohnXXIII